Photo By Sgt. Marc Morgenstern | Florida National Guard Sgt. Jonathan Cook and Spc. John Rice, with the 153rd Cavalry...... read more read more
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Members of the Florida Army National Guard are forever at the ready to serve the citizens of Florida. Two soldiers with first squadron, 153rd Cavalry Regiment “Darkhorse” demonstrated their commitment to the people of the Sunshine State in late April when they swiftly leapt into action to assist two motorists in distress near the city of Marianna, Florida, approximately 60 miles northwest of Tallahassee.
SGT Jonathan Cook and SPC John Rice, both cavalry scouts, completed a mission in Marianna where they manned a COVID-19 mobile test site and were driving back to a National Guard Armory in Panama City, Florida. As they were driving, a large debris truck in front of them lost control and was forced to swerve off the road when a vehicle in front of it slammed on its brakes, resulting in the truck flipping and landing on its side.
“As soon as we saw it happen, we safely pulled the van over and jumped out,” said Cook. “We quickly assessed the situation, notified emergency services, and ran over to the truck to make sure the truck’s passengers were ok. Luckily, both occupants were unharmed, so we helped them take their seatbelts off and pull them from the overturned truck.”
These guardsmen displayed the epitome of “citizen soldier” and what it means to be in the National Guard. Rice’s career experience as a civilian first responder was a major boon in successfully handling the stressful situation.
“First and foremost, we’re here to help the people of the state of Florida,” said Rice. “This also ties into my civilian job as a first responder, as I was able to apply my training as a full-time law enforcement officer and EMS to safely and quickly extricate the truck’s passengers and secure the scene of the accident.”
These events demonstrated the flexibility of the FLNG, and its desire to serve the community whenever it can. Maj. Daniel Brown, executive officer of First Squadron, 153rd Cavalry Regiment, says Cook and Rice truly epitomized the title of “citizen-soldier” and what it means to be in the FLNG.
“That’s one of the things that separates the National Guard,” said Brown. “You may respond to a hurricane, you may respond to a disturbance, you may respond to an accident. These soldiers showed the importance of having the National Guard activated, what we’re capable of, and that we’re ready to do anything for the citizens of Florida at any time.
"Our motto is ‘scout’s out’ in the cavalry, and our motto in the 153rd is ‘from the front.’ These soldiers definitely led from the front, and were definitely out providing whatever assistance was needed for the state. They exemplified exactly what duty means by not waiting on someone else to do the job or waiting for someone else to take the initiative, but to get out there and be the example of what a soldier does.”
For their actions, Cook and Rice received the Army Achievement Medal.
SGT Cook is from Bascom, Florida, and SPC Rice is from Perry, Florida.
| Date Taken: | 05.10.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 05.13.2020 17:07 |
| Story ID: | 369658 |
| Location: | TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 519 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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